Drawing on the resources developed by Youth Theatre Ireland and Youth Theatre Arts Scotland (YTAS), DYT launched its own Young Critics programme in 2019. DYT members benefit from workshops in the critique of theatre performance before attending professional productions in Dublin. After attending performances, they produce their own response and critique to the production in their chosen medium. The Young Critics programme emphasises critical thinking and an awareness of the aesthetics of theatre, while highlighting the contributions of each department to a production.
In 2020 the DYT Young Critics went online with facilitator Alan King leading the second annual DYT Young Critics Programme via Zoom. They viewed the online presentation of Gúna Nua’s Bread Not Profits.
We were delighted to return to in-person theatre in autumn 2021 with What Did I Miss? at The Ark and Once Before I Go at The Gate Theatre.
In 2023, DYT’s Young Critics was slightly remodeled into our ‘Stage Door’ programme. Members attended The New Electric Ballroom and Fun Home at The Gate Theatre (workshops facilitated by Alan King and Ciara Fleming, respectively), and National Youth Theatre’s production of Like We Were Born to Move (written by DYT alum Eimear Hussey) at the Peacock.
